American Exceptualism Rudy
Giuliani was espousing his opinion to Fox News that Barack Obama did not
love America and didn’t brag enough about “American Exceptionalism.”

Fur Is Not Chic When my 25-pound
dog stepped in a toothed steel leg hold trap a few ft off the trail, I
learned how “unchic” fur is. I had to carry her out two miles to get to a
vet.

Which Is More Dangerous? Just
a couple of thoughts I had in response to the letters by Gordon Lee
Dean and Jarin Weber in the Feb. 23 issue. Mr. Dean claims that there
have been zero deaths from the measles in the past ten years.

Real Action on Climate In
“Climate Madness” in the Feb. 9 issue, the writer points out that
scientists are all but unanimous and that large numbers of people agree:
global warming poses a threat to future generations.

Real Science Wolfgang
Pauli, the Nobel Prize winning Austrian-born theoretical physicist, was
known not only for his work in postulating the existence of the
neutrino but feared for his razor-edged humor.

As a long-time resident of Indian River, I must express my concern for the proposed racetrack at Griswold Mountain. I
have lived here full-time since 1992. I have cherished the serenity and
beauty that Indian River and the surrounding woodlands have provided me
and my many neighbors...

Women under the gun

Dear
women of Michigan: Our legislature, in its wisdom, just presented us
with a gift, and just in time for Christmas. There is truly a second
class citizenship for women in our great state...

Litter & the Bible

“In
the Beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth”. NOTE: Private
property owned by any person was originally owned by God. He works
through His people. One of them is me...

It’s Old Mission

I
have read several times in your paper writers referring to Old Mission
as “Mission” as in “the Mission Peninsula.” Most recently this reference
appeared in Bob Downes’ farewell letter (so long, good work, see ya
around)...

Wrong party...

Regarding Stephen Tuttle’s column in the December 23 issue, Bob Filner, mayor of San Diego, was and is a Democrat.

As the
“baby” cousin of the fabulous, extended Willman family, I am expressing
our collective, resounding NO to the prospect of a racetrack facility on
Griswold Mountain in Indian River...

Destructive plan

About
80 years ago my grandfather built a cottage near Indian River that he
named North Haven. He, my grandmother, and their five daughters spent
every summer with the woods and waters. Those daughters in turn
faithfully brought their nine children back to the cottage for long
visits...

Creepy condition

I
read with amusement the Detroit Free Press article on “The Elf On The
Shelf” named Michael who watched children’s every move before heading to
the North Pole each evening to report directly to Santa on each child’s
misadventures...

Special interest scandal

I’d
like to thank Michigan law enforcement for putting the brakes on the
Republicans' attempt to make AT&T more profitable at the expense of
constituents by discontinuing land line service...

A taxing subject

In
Michigan we have huge income from various sin taxes. We have a tax on
alcohol, on nicotine addiction (tobacco), and income from gambling on
the lottery and video poker machines. When marijuana is legalized here,
as it is in the state of Washington, we will have a tax on that. What we
don’t have is a tax on sex...

It’s
true that Obamacare led my daughter’s insurance company to decide to
drop her plan. But guess what? Thanks to Obamacare, she will be getting
better coverage from the same company at lower cost...

GOP’s desperate attacks

An
irony in the monumental fight over the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is
that most Democrats prefer a single-payer system (Medicare-For-All),
demonstrably the most efficient and economical method of healthcare
delivery...

Guns & screwdrivers

Recently,
I bought a gun at a sporting good store that required a background
check that took about 3 minutes. The next day I stood in line at Sears
about 5 minutes to buy a screwdriver set that was on sale...

Mandela's legacy

Nelson
Mandela is being acclaimed worldwide for his role in managing the
peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy in South Africa. Without
Mandela, South Africa would have otherwise become a bloodbath...

As
one of his first official acts, Governor Snyder picked the pockets of
Michigan retirees by taxing their pensions and retirement savings. He
then lined the pockets of his corporate backers by reducing business
taxes...

Food stamp cuts

Yes, that would be the real “Hunger Games” (I’ll credit the movie for my title to avoid a Rand Paul plagiarism charge)...

Racetrack woes

The
Indian River Racetrack issue has unfortunately very much divided our
community, literally pitting neighbor against neighbor...

As
a frequent shopper at the Women’s Resource Center, Goodwill, etc., I am
often irritated at the deliberate bad choices in donations. If an item
you wan to donate doesn’t work perfectly, ask your junk collector to
take it. Scratched Teflon pans are a health hazard, discard, don’t
donate. Small appliances, check them out at home first...

Allegations of abuse

I
feel compelled to write because days after reading the article, “House
of Abuse” (11//25), it is still weighing heavy on my mind..

Turn on your headlights

Okay,
I honestly just don’t get it. What is it about the growing number of
drivers here in the Grand Traverse area that feel there is no need to
turn on their headlights in extreme low visibility conditions?!

Republican Rep. from
Florida, and a Tea-Party favorite, Trey Radel, voted in favor of a
broad Florida food stamps bill that includes a provision that requires
food stamp recipients to pee in a cup to prove that they are drug-free,
and thereby eligible to receive their food stamps...

Exercise caution

The
use of marijuana as medicine has a long history, but here in Michigan a
person needs to obtain a certification from a licensed M.D. or D.O. in
order to have protection from jail or prison...

Empires tend to fall

Does America need the American empire? And can America afford an empire? In sharp contrast, five world empires have fallen since 1945, but at least they have left lessons for the American empire...

Tales for shelter dogs

I’ve
attached a picture of myself reading the Northern Express to a shelter
dog at the Cherryland Humane Society. Why? Firstly, because I’m a
volunteer dog walker there and this is what we do with frightened and
abandoned dogs...

Correction

A
model in a recent Northern Seen page was incorrectly identified. That
was Valerie Hays-Schaub at upper left on Nov. 18, with hair and makeup
by Signature Salon.

There
has been a lot of discussion about the festival issue in Traverse City
recently. Festivals do draw people to the area and we don’t want to
discourage that...

Other festival options

All of the articles and discussion on the festival issue seem to assume that all TC festivals must be at the Open Space. We
can have BOTH festivals AND an open and attractive waterfront if the
festivals are located someplace else in TC, such as the Civic Center,
F&M Park, GT Commons, or on private property, such as the lot at
Pine and Front, etc...

Fatbikes bad for Vasa trail

TART
Trails is a great organization that does many wonderful things for the
region. Pushing fatbikes onto the Vasa Pathway ski trails is not one of
them...

Cowboy mentality

Perhaps the NRA’s president thinking that the best way to deal with an active shooter is to have a good man with a gun...

Indigents insulted

I
read your “The Season of Giving” article in the Northern Express and
appreciate what you conveyed in the article. I do have one comment about
a term you used in the list of local agencies...

Correction

A
model in last week’s Northern Seen page was incorrectly identified.
That was Kayla Jackson pictured at upper right with the towering
hair-do. Cindy Toranzo was the stylist.

Today
Traverse City Police sent two officers in separate cars to search
downtown for me. An officer approached me while I was sitting on a chair
in the hallway of a store with a sleeping baby in my lap, and said,
“You’re the one I’m looking for...

He’s not so old...

I
just finished reading your article about my father; 61 years old is not
OLD! Many people have told me that they were offended at the
description of my father’s attempted burglary...

A black eye for millage

I
have called Traverse City home now for 14 years. I have witnessed many
wonderful, progressive and positive things over the course of time. My
family has a deep passion for our community...

Hoarders take note

A
front page article in the October 11 edition of the Record Eagle read,
“Hoarder found dead after home fire.” The fire took place in the
Cherryland Mobile Home Park in the early morning of October 10. It took
the life of the mobile home’s sole resident, John Norberg...

Straitjacket education

A
well-researched article in the Christian Science Monitor reviews the
International Student Assessment (PISA) scores of U. S. students as 30th
in math literacy, 20th in science and 14th in reading...

Quack diagnosis?

I see that Dr. Benishek has described global warming as “some sort of scam.”

Helping the homeless

Homeless
Awareness Week is Nov. 17-23, so I decided to take a few moments to
share optimistic news about homelessness for Grand Traverse, despite the
HUD data that indicated roughly 350 people are homeless in the
five-county area...

Kindness matters Three young
men’s lives have now been lost in the very same location at Twin Lakes
Park. Last week, TC West Senior High students and staff held a memorial
service for my son Owen, the most recent of those drowned...

Jobs are out there Where
is the bus to pick up all the people on unemployment to pick apples and
grapes...

Happy with Obamacare Hallelujah
for Obamacare! While I didn’t get what I preferred:
single-payer/Medicare for all... Republicans also didn’t get what they
wanted. Instead we got this Heritage Foundation/GOP-approved/RomneyCare
plan. Oops Obamacare is what the GOP once wanted...

Obamacare: what matters The
debate over Obamacare continues to be blurred by fringe issues instead
of focusing on what is at the heart of the matter. People should ignore
objections due to the incompetent roll-out, perceptions that the law is
socialist, or nothing more than that the program was proposed by a black
man in the White House...

About dam time Isn’t
it time for the entire team that was involved in the Brown Bridge Dam
fiasco to stand up and take responsibility for what was a colossal
mistake from the git-go...

At
a recent Forum on Gun Violence there was not a lot of talk about
violent video games and movies, but panelists mentioned them as a
factor. In my opinion as a retired pediatrician and
adolescent and family psychiatrist, one result of the obsession with
violent video games by young people is the loss of ability to talk and
resolve problems...

Senate sends a message

The
Michigan Senate passed a package of bills Oct. 22 that will restrict
where people receiving public benefits can withdraw cash from ATMs using
their Bridge cards...

They’ll be missed...

Ten
years ago this summer, Bronwyn Jones started purchasing food from our
Leelanau County Sweeter Song Farm and giving that fresh, healthful food
to the Women’s Resource Center. Bronwyn’s idea evolved into the mission
for the Fresh Food Partnership: buy locally grown fresh food at a fair
market price for our neighbors in need...

Republican tax machine

Where
are the campaign signs? Here it is, getting down to another millage
election, and who knows anything about the three tax increases on the
ballot?

By my count, the picture scorecard of your Annual Tribute to Pets issue was as follows...

Frackdown in Kalkaska

On
Saturday, October 19, 25 people gathered in Kalkaska to protest the
misuse of Michigan water by fracking companies there. The effort was
part of Global Frackdown 2, a world event initiated by Food and Water
Watch and 350.org. Protests on Saturday were held in 30 countries and
dozens of American cities...

Death in the forest

I
agree with most of Steve Tuttle’s premises in “What a Friend Would Do,”
but have serious issues with numbers posited for pre-Columbian
populations...

New voice needed in D.C.

Retired
general and former Kalkaska County Sheriff Jerry Cannon released the
following statement on Dan Benishek’s 11th hour government shutdown
vote...

Congressman
Dan Benishek voted to strip Supplemental Nutritional Assistance
Payments (food stamps) from the bi-partisan Senate passed Agriculture
bill. According to the USDA, there are over 92,000 SNAP recipients in
Benishek’s district. He also voted against the expansion of Medicaid
benefits for the most vulnerable Michigan residents.

The report, “Obamacare: What’s In It for You” by Robert Downes was certainly biased and borderline propaganda...

Who’s running the show?

Here is a little “pop quiz” re: definitions and examples. What
is the government of the U.S.? The U.S. is a federal constitutional
republic. The citizens elect who controls their government...

Misinformed on BC/BS

In
the October 7 issue, letter writer Tom North stated categorically that
he was informed through their customer service department that “Michigan
Blue Cross/Blue Shield will terminate ALL-100% of their current
insurance plans by 3-31 14.”

The latest free trade threat

TPP:
Trans Pacific Partnership. Have you heard of it? If you care about
“Pure Michigan” or “All Things Local” you need to be paying attention. This
is a trade agreement that for the last three years has been negotiated
behind closed doors. It has been called “NAFTA on steroids” for good
reason...

Last
month, after attending Congressman Dr. Dan Benishek’s town hall meeting
in Traverse City, I came away thinking “what a waste of time!” Upon
entering I was asked to register, write any questions, and leave my
email address in case the doctor could not get to my question from the
floor...

Complainers take note

I’m
writing in response to a couple letters complaining about improvements
along the waterfront. I grew up in this town and also moved away to do
blahblahblah and then came back...

Value what we have

I
have lived in the Grand Traverse Region since 1984, and I have seen
continued improvements in the vitality of the region from the
restaurants, boutiques, waterfronts, salons -- and, yes, to the
festivals in the last almost 30 years...

A musical thank you

A
love letter to Traverse City on behalf of my family and me. I want to
give a huge thanks to the Traverse City community, and the musicians who
helped with the benefit for my family. I wish I could hug you all...

False claim

I
spoke with Blue Cross/Blue Shield this morning concerning this
statement made by Tom North in the Oct 7, 2013 issue of the Northern
Express that “Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan, through their customer
service department, told me in August that ALL - 100% - of their
current insurance plans are being terminated by March 31, 2014.” This is
not a true statement!

Misguided state rep

Representative
Greg MacMaster, (R) 105th District, voted NO on Common Core for
Michigan. These standards define expectations for what students should
know and be able to do by the end of each grade...

This is a political
cartoon in words. In the background is a band: Karl Rove on drums,
Grover Norquist on keyboard, the Koch brothers (not to be confused with
the Allman Brothers) on guitars...

Healthcare for fat cats

Our
Michigan State Senators have feathered their own nests, garnering
lifetime, full-family insurance coverage. The requirement is an
astonishing minimal six years of service...

Tuttle & Obamacare

Stephen
Tuttle’s editorial about “Obamacare” (“No Points Scored,” Sept. 30) may
be a decent attempt at a balanced analysis. However, the article
contained a couple critical and glaring factual errors about that law...

Reckless behavior

Where’s
the justice when a small band of zealots can wreck the economy and
damage the paychecks of millions simply because they don’t wish to obey
the law of the land -- a law that’s been upheld by the Supreme Court?

MPA contest honors:

Northern
Express Weekly took first place for Graphic Design in this year’s
Michigan Press Association contest for class B weekly newspapers, with
honors going to Colleen Zanotti and Kyra Poehlman. Investigative reporter Patrick Sullivan took first place in News Enterprise Reporting for his story, “Upland Forest or Forested Wetlands?” Stephen Tuttle took third place for “Best Local Columnist.”

Rick
Coates hit the nail on the head with his recent article on the
increasing number of festivals and events up north, particularly the
Traverse City area. Personally, I am “festivaled out” and no longer
attend any of them, no matter what the theme...

Living Badly in Eden

Born
and raised in Michigan, I moved away 33 years ago to pursue an
education and career. Now, at age 60, after living in Boston, Dallas,
Calgary, and earning a PhD in Brisbane, Australia, I chose to come back
to Michigan because of its breathtaking beauty, its localized economy,
and its commitment to community and culture. Indeed, sitting at the
epicenter of the world’s fresh water supply, Michigan is second to none...

Just a stoners’ convention?

The
logo for the medical marijuana convention does NOT instill faith that
this is a viable form of medicine for the suffering. The conference also
starts at 4:20 - another reference to going against societal norm...

Circadian Rhythms Influence Organs

The
biological clock that regulates day and night cycles is called the
circadian rhythm. Besides color, the healing of congestion is rhythm. It
is a tremendous healing factor...

No yard signs for mayor

As
mayor, documentation of my city service is public information that is
recorded on public TV and commented on by the media on a regular basis.
As such, my campaign for re-election will have no expenditures and will
not include the display of yard signs...

Improvements not for us

It
seems some of the Traverse City locals are confused about a few things.
The improvements to the Open Space, the waste-of-money Splash Pad, and
the new Marina, were not made for us that live here year round. We are
already here, and most were here for years before...